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Can you see in the dark?
Lights & Sounds Unit | Lesson 4 of 6

Can you see in the dark?

Lights & Sounds Unit | Lesson 4 of 6
Lesson narration:
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# Optional Activity: Dark Box

You may not be able to take a field trip into a deep, dark cave, but you can make a Dark Box that lets students experiment with seeing in dim light and darkness.

Go to the next slide for instructions.

# Optional Activity: Dark Box

A Dark Box is an opaque box with a hole in one end. Students take turns placing a message inside the box and trying to read the message through the opening. How much light do they need to see the message clearly? Students learn that they can see objects only when light shines on them. See Activity Prep below.

Dark Box
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Slide Image

light


1 of 3

what comes from the Sun and lamps and makes it possible to see things
Slide Image

dark


2 of 3

very little or no light

experiment


3 of 3

a test used to discover new information about a question
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Featured Reviews

“The directions are clear, the students comprehend, and the engagement is high!”
“We liked the story and the interactive parts. The dark boxes were a great hit too.”
“The hands on activity dark boxes were really fun and helped the students actually see that your fiction book is real!”
“The pictures made it easy for the students to follow along. The highlighted words were great as well.”
“They loved having turns reading. Some had never heard of spelunking before. We made our own animal shadows and worked in groups of three to trace, form, and hold flashlight. They loved it!”
“The kids loved this! They absolutely loved the box that I made and how they had to raise the cover to see what was on the paper. They were so engaged.”
“The kids loved the light boxes. It really drove home the idea that light is the reason we can see things.”
“The kids were fully engaged in the story! The real cave photos were great for them! They enjoyed guessing what was in the mystery box!”
“The kids loved the "mystery box" as I called it. We also have a large walk-in storage closet that we used to simulate the lack of light and the gradual introduction of more and more light until we finally turned on the closet light. We LOVE Mystery Science!”
“The kids loved it--mystery boxes were very successful. Thanks for all the hands on ideas!”
“Very engaging for the kids. We had great discussions about what was happening. ”
“We used the optional activity. The students drew pictures in their Science journal to show what they saw with light and without light. They were excited to learn about illumination.”
“It was wonderful. The students were very engaged in the entire lesson. The sequence of the lesson made it easy for them to make a connection between the bedroom, the cave and the box. The discussions we had verified to me the level of knowledge gained. Will do the journal writing tomorrow - looking forward to reading each student's thinking. ”
Lesson narration:

Grade 1

Light, Sound, & Communication

Light & Illumination

1-PS4-2

Activity Prep

Print Prep

Switch to non-narrated version

In this Read-Along lesson, Santiago visits a cave and discovers that when it's dark (really dark!) he can't see anything. The lesson includes a short exercise where students find the sources of light around them. You can extend the lesson with the optional activity, Dark Box, where students experience what it's like to try to see in the dark.
Preview optional activity

Grade 1

Light, Sound, & Communication

Light & Illumination

1-PS4-2

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Light Read-Along Lesson 4: Can you see in the dark?

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